Partnership awards success

The University’s Partnership Awards on 29th April 2019 was a great success for the School of Sociology &amp; Social Policy, celebrating the school community's commitment to The Partnership values.

This year, the school achieved an enormous number of nominations across both staff and students and we are proud to announce that we won the following awards:

School of the Year

Student Academic Rep of the Year: Clare Mawson

Mentor Award: Suzanne Hallam

Supervisor Award: Salman Sayyid

School of the Year is a new category for 2019, and the award came as a wonderful surprise as the shortlist was not announced in advance.

Professor Salman Sayyid, Head of School, said: “This award is in recognition of the vital academic community that staff and students have built together through collective effort. The sense of partnership between staff and students in the school stretches across all our programmes, from Foundation to PhD. We are very proud of this award and celebrate the partnership work and community that it recognises.”

The School of Sociology & Social Policy has long been proud of the partnership that our students and staff have forged as an academic community. The Leeds Partnership makes three core commitments:

to be responsible, accessible and respectful

to prepare for, engage with and contribute to learning at Leeds

to help each other to reflect, develop and improve

The annual Partnership Awards recognises the achievements of individuals and groups who put these commitments and values into practice.

We look forward to further developing the excellent partnerships in our academic community to continue to flourish in the years ahead.

Award details

School of the Year Award

The announcement of the award read:

“This award has been made to the School of Sociology & Social Policy based on the exceptional scale and scope of partnership working evident in its 330 nominations. These nominations were for people and programmes across the school. They recognise both collaborative working and the achievements of staff, students, and postgraduate researchers.

“Some of the standout nominations for this school were in areas such as mentoring, supervision, positive impact, and student representation. The judge’s panel also wanted to acknowledge the exceptional nominations received by the school’s foundation year. Students on this pathway emphasised the commitment and support of staff and fellow students, and praised the exceptional teaching that they received. They emphasised the foundation year’s integral role in supporting diversity at the University of Leeds.

"One student wrote that this programme had not ‘just made the biggest positive impact on them at their time at Leeds, but has made the biggest positive impact in their life so far’.”

Student Academic Rep of the Year Award: Clare Mawson

On what her award means for her, Clare Mawson said: “It is a privilege to win the award for Academic School Rep of the year. For me it is a team victory. The course reps and staff have worked tirelessly to put The Partnership at the heart of everything we do. Valuing each other’s differences to build an inclusive community is my version of success.”

The announcement of Clare’s award read: “The winner of this award received 28 nominations from students and members of staff. They have worked determinedly towards introducing and developing a number of initiatives within their School, and put inclusion, diversity and equality at the heart of what they do. Their nominations praised their work with fellow representatives, and their powerful drive to improve the student experience.”

Mentor Award: Suzanne Hallam (Deputy Head of School)

In her acceptance speech, Suzanne said: “It’s a privilege to work with our students…and I get paid! So this award is the icing on the cake. I came to the University as a part-time mature student and many people were generous enough to share what they knew with me, and I’m proud to carry on that tradition.”

The announcement of the Mentor Award read: “Whether as SES staff member, an academic or a student, this person’s guidance and support has encouraged and nurtured others to develop their skills and prospects for the future, helping them to grow and progress, either personally or in their learning. Mentors come in many guises, but share the quality of going above and beyond their usual remit to help others to achieve. It was clear from the nominations in this category that the impact and importance of exceptional mentors cannot be underestimated.

“Today’s winner is described by their students as instilling confidence, changing outlooks, and helping students to access opportunity. Working flexibly and constructively, they support personal development, independent learning and continual improvement.”

Supervisor Award: Professor Salman Sayyid (Head of School)

The announcement for the Supervisor Award read:

“This year’s winner supports their PhD students in their academic work, employability, and wellbeing. Their supervisees describe their support as invaluable, offering multi-layered platforms for students to further their own research and engage with that of others, while also establishing a vital sense of community among their cohort.”